Seasonal Lasagna with Butternut Squash and Spinach, layered with marinara sauce makes an excellent vegetarian main for Thanksgiving or just any dinner.
The first time I made a butternut squash lasagna, it was with a creamy white sauce and however delicious it was, it did not work well as a vegetarian main for me. It was a tad too sweet and uni- dimensional in taste that I could eat only very little of it.
That is when I came across this recipe for a butternut squash lasagna with a marinara sauce. When I read it at first, I wasn’t sure how this could work. I however did try this one Thanksgiving and loved it!
This has been my go-to vegetarian main recipe for the last few Thanksgiving dinners. We always host Thanksgiving at our place and I make a roasted chicken or a cornish hen for everyone else. I am a vegetarian and I love to make a little something special as a vegetarian main as well.
I personally love to make this lasagna as it is very seasonal with the butternut squash as the main ingredient and the marinara sauce balances the sweetness of the squash very well. I think this will continue as my vegetarian main for many more Thanksgiving dinners to come.
We love this lasagna recipe because:
- It is super delicious as it is made from scratch.
- This is a vegetarian lasagna recipe
- It is bursting with flavors from the butternut squash and spinach
- It can be made ahead or even frozen.
Butternut Squash Lasagna with Marinara Sauce
Ingredients
For the Lasagna:
- 10 Lasagna Noodles
For the Squash Filling:
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 Yellow Onion sliced thin
- 5 cups Spinach roughly chopped
- 1 Butternut Squash peeled and cubed (1 inch pieces)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Crushed Black pepper to taste
For the Cheese Spread:
- 2 Eggs
- 8 oz Ricotta Cheese
- ¼ cup Milk
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Chillies
- ¼ cup Finely Chopped Parsley
- ½ cup Grated Parmesan
- Salt to taste
- Crushed Black pepper to taste
For the Marinara Sauce:
- 3 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 cloves Garlic crushed
- ½ Yellow Onion chopped
- 1 can Fire Roasted Tomatoes 16 oz can
- 1 can San Marzano Crushed Tomatoes 28 oz can
- Salt to taste
- Crushed Black Pepper to taste
- 1 cup Grated Parmesan
- Cooking Spray
Instructions
- Cook the lasagna noodles as per package instructions. Drain and keep.
To make the marinara sauce:
- Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan. Add the garlic and onions and saute well. Add the tomatoes, salt and pepper and simmer for about 30 mins or so.
To make the squash filling:
- Cook the squash in the microwave with enough water to cover it fully, until it is soft. Drain the water and keep aside.
- Heat the oil and add the onions and garlic to it. Sauté until onions are translucent.
- Add the spinach and once it wilts, add the cooked squash to it along with salt and pepper. Mix well Remove from heat and keep aside.
To make the cheese spread:
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix with a fork until well combined.
To assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 375F.
- In a lasagna pan, spray some cooking spray on all sides.
- Spread ¼ of the marinara sauce at the bottom. Arrange three lasagna sheets. Spread a ½ of the squash mixture over it. Spread ½ of the cheese mixture over the squash mixture. Pour ¼ of the marinara sauce over it and layer with three more lasagna sheets.
- Repeat with the rest and end with the last set of lasagna sheets. (You will have one extra, that is ok, it was just in case one of your other sheets tore)
- Top with the remaining marinara sauce and the 1 cup of grated parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake covered with foil for about 30 mins or so.
- Remove foil and bake again for another 15 mins or so.
- Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Holly Hooper says
Thanks for this amazing list! I’m trying to eat the least amount of processed foods possible and this is so perfect for me!
Manju says
Thank you Holly